Throughout this application, various publications are referenced within the text. The disclosure of these publications in their entireties are hereby incorporated by reference into this application in order to more fully describe the state of the art as known to those skilled in therein as of the date of the invention described and claimed herein.
Following the eradication of smallpox (Fenner et al., The epidemiology of smallpox. In: Smallpox and its eradication. Switzerland: World Health Organization; 1988) and the subsequent cessation of routine childhood vaccinations for smallpox, the number of people susceptible to infection with variola virus (VARV), the etiologic agent that causes smallpox, has dramatically increased worldwide. In addition, encroachment into wildlife habitats, the trade of exotic pets, and the trade of bush meat increase the risk for zoonotic infection with other orthopoxviruses, such as monkeypox virus (MPXV), for which vaccination against smallpox provides some cross protection (Jezek et al., Human monkey pox. In: Melnick J L ed. Monographs in virology. Vol. 17. Basel, Switzerland: S Karger A G. 1988:81-102).
Given that a large proportion of the worldwide population is susceptible to smallpox, the emergence of MPXV in the United States in 2003, and the continued concern over the intentional release of VARV, there is renewed interest in the development of safer smallpox and other orthopoxvirus vaccines and antiviral therapeutics.
One recently discovered antiviral compound is ST-246, a specific and potent inhibitor of an orthopoxvirus protein critical for virus maturation. Several studies evaluating ST-246 for activity against orthopoxviruses have demonstrated excellent in vitro and in vivo efficacy (Quenelle et al. 2007. Efficacy of delayed treatment with ST-246 given orally against systemic orthopoxvirus infections in mice. Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy February; 51(2):689-95, Smee et al, 2008. Progress in the discovery of compounds inhibiting orthopoxviruses in animal models. Antiviral Chemistry and Chemotherapy 19(3):115-24). When evaluated in vitro against vaccinia virus (VV), cowpox virus (CV), ectromelia virus (ECTV), monkeypox, camelpox, and variola viruses, ST-246 inhibited virus replication by 50% (50% effective concentration [EC50]) at a concentration of ≤0.07 μM. With animal models using lethal infections with ECTV, VV, or CV, ST-246 was reported to be nontoxic and highly effective in preventing or reducing mortality even when treatments were delayed up to 72 h post-viral inoculation (Quenelle et al., 2007. Efficacy of delayed treatment with ST-246 given orally against systemic orthopoxvirus infections in mice. Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy February; 51(2):689-95, Smee et al. 2008. Progress in the discovery of compounds inhibiting orthopoxviruses in animal models. Antiviral Chemistry and Chemotherapy 19(3):115-24). ST-246 was also evaluated with the nonlethal mouse tail lesion model using intravenous VV. When ST-246 was administered orally twice a day at 15 or 50 mg/kg of body weight for 5 days, the tail lesions were significantly reduced (Smee et al., 2008. Progress in the discovery of compounds inhibiting orthopoxviruses in animal models. Antiviral Chemistry and Chemotherapy 19(3):115-24). Most recently, an infant was given ST-246 as an FDA-authorized emergency treatment for eczema vaccinatum which developed after exposure to the parent's predeployment military smallpox immunization (Vora et al., 2008, Severe eczema vaccinatum in a household contact of a smallpox vaccine. Clinical Infectious Disease 15; 46(10):1555-61).
ST-246 was disclosed in WO 2008/130348, WO 2004/112718 and WO 2008/079159 as one of the tetracyclic acylhydrazide compounds for treatment or prophylaxis of viral infections and diseases associated herewith, particularly those viral infections and associated diseases caused by the orthopoxvirus. These publications disclose a process for the preparation of ST-246 but do not disclose what polymorphic form is made. Nonetheless, the disclosed process yields ST-246 hemihydrate, the polymorphic Form V as discussed herein below.
The process of making a monohydrate of ST-246 was disclosed in CN 101445478A. The data shown in this publication corresponds to polymorphic Form III according to the present classification of polymorphs of ST-246.
It has now been unexpectedly discovered that ST-246 can exist in many different polymorphic forms. A particular crystalline form of a compound may have physical properties that differ from those of other polymorphic forms and such properties may influence markedly the physico-chemical and pharmaceutical processing of the compound, particularly when the compound is prepared or used on a commercial scale. Such differences may alter the mechanical handling properties of the compound (such as the flow characteristics of the solid material) and the compression characteristics of the compound. Further, the discovery of new polymorphic forms of such pharmaceutically important compound as ST-246, provides a new opportunity to improve the performance characteristics of a pharmaceutical end product and enlarges the repertoire of materials that a formulation scientist has available for designing, for example, a pharmaceutical dosage form of a drug with targeted release profile or other desired physico-chemical properties.
Further, given that new polymorphic forms of a drug substance may display different melting point, hygroscopicity, stability, solubility and/or dissolution rate, crystallinity, crystal properties, bioavailability, toxicity and formulation handling characteristics, which are among the numerous properties that need to be considered in preparing medicament that can be effectively administered. Furthermore, regulatory agencies require a definitive knowledge, characterization and control of the polymorphic form of the active component in solid pharmaceutical dosage forms. Thus, there is a need in the art for crystallization and characterization of new polymorphic forms of ST-246.